Most of you know that I am an artificial sweetener expert, but more than just that, I’m one of the original artificial sweetener researchers still alive who knows the entire history of the diet sweetener industry beginning in 1902. No, I wasn’t alive in 1902, but my research goes back that far and it documents the history of the artificial sweeteners beginning long long ago.
What’s Stevia
Stevia is one of the safest sweetener choices, if not THE best choice for added sweetness. Stevia is extracted from a plant grown in South America, and in its original form, stevia is a complex sugar extract from the plant itself.
This is what I consider a natural sucrose (sugar) alternative.
Stevia is a complex plant carbohydrate, which means that it does not pass into your bloodstream, yet it releases a natural sweetness.
Stevia is 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar when it is purified from the leaves of the plant. What most people don’t know is for over 1,500-recorded years, the indigenous people of Paraguay and other South American countries have used stevia as a very traditional remedy for diabetes and gum disease – who knows how many years it’s been medicinally used prior to these records?
According to the past generations in South America who used stevia as a part of their daily diets, stevia has been proven to regulate blood sugar.
Unlike any of the other sweeteners, stevia has been shown to possess anti-viral qualities. South American research has shown that stevia possesses blood pressure lowering properties, making it a useful treatment for hypertension.
Then Enters The FDA …
When the marketers who were aware of stevia’s health benefits first attempted to introduce it into the American market, the FDA ignored the overwhelming evidence of stevia’s beneficial qualities, and they suppressed stevia’s history of safe use.
Stevia has been used safely around the world for decades, but our good-ole’ American FDA ignored it for years in favor of aspartame.
As the demand for stevia increased, the FDA finally made a move in 1996. But it’s not what you think … they targeted Oscar Rodes, owner of the Stevita Company, in Arlington, Texas. Oscar was the first person trying to bring stevia into the American market for commercial use.
1996 – Changing Stevia Labels
The first shipment of Stevia Spoonful® (a blend of stevioside and maltodextrin) was imported to Texas in the summer of 1996. Stevia Spoonful was a registered trade name of STEVIASWEET®.
The FDA’s Dallas office detained the shipment of 3,000 jars, stating that the Stevita Co. could not use the trade name “STEVIASWEET” because the word SWEET implied that stevia could be used as a sugar substitute.
So, Oscar had the labels changed onsite at the American Airlines warehouse to STEVITA® brand. The products, now with new labels, were released.
In early 1997, Stevita Co. started importing Stevita chocolate coffee flavoring and Stevita cappuccino coffee flavoring. The first shipments passed through customs with no problems. But later that year in October 1997, the FDA detained a shipment of Stevita cappuccino flavoring.
They claimed Stevita Co. was selling coffee instead of stevia.
Oscar removed the word “coffee” from the label, and submitted the new label, MAGIC®. After changing all 5,000 labels, the shipment was released.
1977 – Burning Stevia Books
On November 12, 1997, FDA inspectors Martha Baldwin and Pauline Logan raided Rodes’ Arlington, Texas facility, confiscating books and some scientific literature.
The crime? “Violations of the rules and regulations governing dietary supplements.”
Oscar also held the Brazilian patent on stevia manufacturing, and he was distributing three books on stevia to educate people about the sweet plant and how to cook with it.
The books described the history of stevia, and contained various stevia recipes.
The FDA ordered Oscar to destroy his entire inventory of books, and he was forced to remove all links to other websites on his Internet site.
We’re not talking about burning The Anarchist’s Cookbook, a book about how to construct “homemade bombs”; we are referring to the burning of cookbooks showing how to cook with an herb.
So as you can see, stevia’s entry into the American sweetener market was caught in the politics, and this made many people wonder if it was safe. Well, 1,500+ years of history shows that stevia is absolutely safe, and not only is it safe, it is healthy for you.
The diet sweetener industry has been manipulated for over a century, and you have been misinformed for decades about the safety of all the artificial sweeteners on the market today. Stay tuned – I have more sweetener stories to share.
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If you want to learn more about healthy living and disease prevention, contact me at janethull.com. Remember that you are never alone when you are looking for good health!
I look forward to supporting you on your journey to alternative health and wellness.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. The FDA may not have evaluated some of the statements. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding supplements or making any changes to your dietary program.
Before taking vitamins, consult your doctor; pre-existing medical conditions or medications you are taking can affect how your body responds to multivitamins.
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